Jarvis Jones did not have a very impressive rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers first-round pick had just one sack and 41 tackles all year.

However, Dick LeBeau’s defense takes time to get used to. Jones did not see a lot of downs early on in the season. In fact, Jones was benched in the game vs. Oakland and Jason Worilds saw 52 snaps compared to Jones’ 11.

The Pittsburgh Steelers placed linebacker LaMarr Woodley on injured reserve yesterday, thus ending his 2013 season. I know what you’re thinking, “Woodley played this season?” I can barely remember myself.

In my recap of Sunday night’s game, I mentioned Woodley falling farther faster than nearly any player I can remember. He was an absolute beast his first three seasons, amassing 35 sacks playing opposite James Harrison. Since signing a six year $61 million extension in 2011, however, he’s been a shadow of his former self. Surely a lot of it has to do with the decline and eventual departure of Deebo, who was one of the best linebackers of the current era. But a lot also has to do with the whispers of Woodley being a lazy unmotivated fatass whose near constant stream of injuries are directly related to his poor work ethic.Continue reading »

This Sunday, the latest chapter in one of the most storied rivalries in NFL history takes place in Cleveland as the Cleveland Browns host the resurgent Pittsburgh Steelers. I’ve been loathe to use the p-word in association with the Steelers but in all honesty, the AFC is a complete disaster. Only the Broncos and Chiefs have broken away from the pack and would anybody be shocked if either or both were one and done in the playoffs? The rest of the conference is comprised of teams that have their strengths but also have some fatal flaws.

The Browns and Steelers are not as far apart as Steeler Nation would like to think. I’ve been hearing a lot of confident talk from Steeler fans acting like this week’s game is chalk. First of all, even when the Steelers were good and the Browns were abjectly terrible the games were tight. Rivalry games tend to have the affect of evening out talent levels.

In a game overshadowed by a report Ben Roethlisberger will ask for a trade this off-season (more about that in a separate post that’ll be up in about an hour), the Pittsburgh Steelers won their third game of the season by defeating the Buffalo Bills 23-10. Trade rumors weren’t the only thing swirling as a cold and blustery day in the ‘Burgh convinced close to 10,000 fans to skip the trek to Heinz Field and stay in their nice wind-free home. They didn’t miss much as the game itself was a dull affair between two of the NFL’s bottom-feeders. Welcome to the Mike Tomlin Era.Continue reading »

Ah, our old friends the New England Patriots. So much success between the two teams. So much hate between the two fanbases. There are really only two things which keep the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Patriots from being one of the NFL’s great rivalries. First, they don’t play each other with enough regularity – although we certainly seem to see them an awful lot.

And second, the Patriots always win.

As I’ve discussed when talking about the Browns-Steelers rivalry, it’s hard to keep the hate flowing when the rivalry is so one-sided. The Browns have done a good job of pulling off some unexpected upsets in recent years to reignite some of the passion. When it comes to Pats-Steelers, though, it’s hard to get excited about a rival who’s consistently dished out one-sided whuppins.

From the Spygate AFC Championship Game to the 34-13 beatdown Tom Brady dished out after safety Anthony Smith let his mouth write checks his ass couldn’t cash, it’s been one disappointment after another. On Sunday, the reeling Steelers limp into Foxboro to face the first place Patriots on national TV. At this point, we can only pray they aren’t embarrassed.Continue reading »

On the heels of the Pittsburgh Steelers latest disastrous loss, the big story to emerge from the wreckage is the demotion of first round pick Jarvis Jones. It all started during the game where those unfortunate enough to have had to sit through Sunday’s fiasco saw linebackers coach Keith Butler chewing his rookie out on the sideline. Jones did not start on Sunday and at his weekly press conference, Mike Tomlin admitted that Jones has been benched in favor of Jason Worilds. His reasoning being that Jones needs to work on “the details.”

Hours after head coach Mike Tomlin‘s press conference, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they cut their erstwhile punter in favor of somebody named Mat McBriar. I wish I could write a long detailed summary of McBriar but I’ve honestly never heard of him. He spells his name with only one T, though, which saves me a keystroke so he’s already on my good side. All I gleaned from the short article on the P-G is he’s Australian, which probably means he played rugby and isn’t afraid to make a tackle.Continue reading »

Posted by Chris at 4:26 amMike TomlinComments Off on Mike Tomlin Press Conference: On The Screws

Oct302013

Welcome to this week’s recap of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin‘s Tuesday press conference. Before we dig into our bag of goodies like a sugar-addicted kid on Halloween night, I’d like to take a moment to mention that this week I have some company in detailing Tomlin’s ineptness.

The Grantland website features a weekly column by Bill Barnwell entitled, “Thank You For Not Coaching.” which highlights the best and (mostly) the worst of the past weekend’s coaching moves. Not only does the column detail how dumb Tomlin is at making challenges, Coach T also pulls off a rare Daily Double with two of the three Worst Calls Of the Week being his.

Even typing that sentence sends waves of bile regurgitating up through my throat. There has been some talk that with Hines Ward busy running triathlons and Stabby, er, Ray Lewis offering his insight on how to duck murder raps on ESPN while James Harrison and Ed Reed have moved on to greener NFL pastures, the Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry has lost a bit of it’s luster. Whether not that’s true, the teams still play in the same division. And as long as they face each other twice a year with victory often being the difference between a playoff berth and a long off-season, the games will continue to hold great significance for both fans and players.Continue reading »

Some people think the Pittsburgh Steelers 0-4 start was the product of a poorly constructed roster, some lousy coaching, and injuries to key personnel. They would be wrong. The Steelers simply decided to postpone winning until after the Pirates season was over. They were polite enough to give them spotlight.

Good manners are the Steeler Way.

With the Bucs done for the year, the Black and Gold wasted no time getting off the schneid by defeating the New York Jets 19-6. The highlight of this game was Bill Cowher, the greatest coach in Steeler history, in the booth calling the game with the normally unlistenable duo of Nantz and Simms. Not only did CBS make sure to work in a plug for Cowher’s mid-life crisis, er, leather-clad rocker babe, the Chin’s near orgasmic joy with every field goal attempt made an otherwise dull game seem exciting. Continue reading »